Photo: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🌾 Indonesia

Ubud

Ubud is the calm, green side of Bali: rice terraces, yoga and a nomad community focused on wellbeing and personal projects. Working from coworkings with dedicated lines is easy, but expect scooters, humidity and a saturated main road.

7.7Zabel scoreHow we score →

$900–1,500/month50–200 Mbps fiber; coworkings with dedicated linesTropical highland: 20–30 °C year-round

Score breakdown

Cost of living

8.5

Villa with pool and coworking for under $1,200.

Weight 25%

Internet & work

6.5

Good in coworkings, patchy in villas.

Weight 20%

Nomad community

9.0

Very active and long-stay.

Weight 15%

Safety

8.0

Low crime; scooters are the real risk.

Weight 15%

Weather

7.5

Milder thanks to altitude, but very humid.

Weight 15%

Paperwork & visa

7.0

One-year KITAS, with a high income threshold.

Weight 10%

What it really costs

Prices checked on the ground by Zabelers. Each line shows when it was last verified.

1-bedroom villa (Penestanan)

650 $/mes

Shared pool, monthly contract.

2026-09 · Bali Treasure Properties

Monthly coworking

140 $/mes

Unlimited access at Outpost Ubud.

2026-09 · Outpost Ubud

Warung meal

35.000 IDR

Nasi campur with a drink.

2026-09 · Numbeo

Scooter rental

1.000.000 IDR/mes

125 cc scooter with helmet.

2026-09 · Alquiladores locales

100 Mbps fiber

500.000 IDR/mes

Installed in a villa.

2026-09 · IndiHome

Where to live

Penestanan

550–900 $/mes

Good for: Those wanting nomad community and calm ten minutes from the centre.

The catch: Access is via stairs and narrow paths.

Centro de Ubud

600–1.000 $/mes

Good for: Having cafés, market and coworkings on foot.

The catch: Constant traffic and noise on the main road.

Nyuh Kuning

500–850 $/mes

Good for: Village atmosphere, green and quiet.

The catch: Few international food options.

Sayan

900–1.600 $/mes

Good for: Ayung valley views and large villas.

The catch: Expensive and scooter-dependent for everything.

Where to work

Coworkings

Outpost Ubud~140 $/mes
The most international, with a pool and events.
Hubud~130 $/mes
A historic hub of Bali's nomad community.

Cafés with wifi

Seniman CoffeeCafé ~45.000 IDR
In-house roastery and a good morning work spot.
Anomali CoffeeCafé ~40.000 IDR
Indonesian specialty coffee with stable wifi.

Time zone: WITA (UTC+8). Overlaps with Asia and Australia; hard with Europe and very hard with the Americas.

What living here is really like

Editorial synthesis of public experiences

People who pick Ubud over Canggu tend to explain it the same way: they want focus and a healthy routine, not nightlife. The mix of a cheap villa, a coworking with a solid line and a long-stay community shows up in nearly every account.

Síntesis editorial · Based on public experiences

Best part:: Calm setting and a highly committed community.
Worst part:: Depending on a scooter for almost everything.

Sources: Nomads.com — Ubud · Outpost Ubud

Editorial synthesis of public experiences

Accounts warn about two things before signing a villa: check the real fiber speed at that exact spot and factor in the humidity, which affects clothes and gear. They also highlight the E33G KITAS as the change that made staying a full year without visa runs possible.

Síntesis editorial · Based on public experiences

Best part:: The one-year KITAS simplifies long stays.
Worst part:: High humidity and uneven internet outside coworkings.

Sources: Inmigración de Indonesia · Nomads.com — Ubud

Day to day

Internet: 50–200 Mbps fiber for 400,000–700,000 IDR/month; patchy in isolated villas. Coworkings offer the most reliable connection.
Safety: Very low crime. The real risk is scooter accidents and going helmet-free; travel insurance must cover riding with an international licence.
Healthcare: Decent private clinics in Ubud (BIMC, Toya Medika) for minor issues; serious cases go to Denpasar. Consultation 500,000–900,000 IDR. International insurance is essential.
SIM / eSIM: Telkomsel prepaid: 30–50 GB for 150,000–250,000 IDR. eSIM available on landing in Denpasar.
Best season: April–June and September–October: dry and less crowded. July and August are high season; January–February the wet season.
Community: Very active long-stay community focused on wellbeing, yoga and personal projects. Near-daily events at Outpost and Hubud; a different profile from party-oriented Canggu.

Living here legally

Visa

30-day visa on arrival, extendable by 30 more. For long stays, the E33G KITAS (digital nomad visa) grants a year with documented income of $60,000 a year and no Indonesian tax on foreign income.

Check your visa →

Tax

The E33G KITAS explicitly exempts foreign-source income from Indonesian tax. Working for Indonesian clients requires a work permit and local taxation.

Flights & connections

Denpasar (DPS) is 75–90 minutes away by car. Direct links to Asia and Australia; Europe almost always with a stopover. Flights to Bangkok or Singapore from $90–180.

Lisbon vs. similar cities

City	Zabel score	Monthly budget	In short
Ubud	7.7	900–1.500 $	Quiet, green and wellbeing-focused.
Bali (Canggu)	7.9	1.000–1.700 $	More beach and social life; also more chaos.
Chiang Mai	8.5	800–1.300 $	Cheaper, with better urban internet.

Transparency

Last checked: 2026-09-14

Official sources

Prices are checked against the dated sources shown. Editorial experience summaries cite their public sources; verified Zabeler accounts are identified separately. Official procedures always take precedence.